Grenfell, New South Wales
| latd =33 |latm =54 |lats =0 | longd =148 |longm =09 |longs =0 | maxtemp = 22.5 | mintemp = 9.4 | rainfall = 622.9 | stategov = Burrinjuck | fedgov = Hume | dist1 = 367 | dir1 = W | location1= Sydney | dist2 = 226 | dir2 = NW | location2= Canberra | dist3 = 197 | dir3 = N | location3= Wagga Wagga | dist4 = 55 | dir4 = WSW | location4= Cowra | dist5 = 51 | dir5 = NW | location5= Young }} Grenfell is a country town in Weddin Shire in the Central West of New South Wales, Australia. It is 370 kilometres west of Sydney and five hours' drive from the city. It is close to Forbes, Cowra and Young. At the 2011 census, Grenfell had a population of 1,996. History Prior to European settlement the Grenfell area was home to the Wiradjuri Aborigines. Grenfell is a goldmining town first known as Emu Creek and renamed in honour of John Grenfell, Gold Commissioner at Forbes, who had been killed in 1866 when bushrangers attacked a stagecoach on which he was travelling. Weddin Post Office opened on 3 December 1866 and was renamed Grenfell on 24 December the same year. By 1870-71 it was producing more gold than any other town in NSW. However by the mid-1870s gold was in decline. Wheat was first grown in the district in 1871. In late October 1901, the railway from Koorawatha to Grenfell was officially opened. Unlike most Australian country towns Grenfell has a main street which bends. In June 2007, the Spirit of the Bush Concert was held on the sporting fields. Acts included the organiser and Australian of the Year Lee Kernaghan, local and international star Steve Forde & the Flange, Adam Brand, Leo Sayer, Diesel, and The McClymonts. Henry Lawson Festival of Arts The poet and story writer Henry Lawson was born on the nearby gold fields. On the Queen's Birthday weekend in June every year, the town hosts The Henry Lawson Festival of Arts, which attracts thousands of visitors. The festival is a celebration of local and national talent, with art, poetry and writing competitions drawing entries from all over Australia. It was first held in 1958. A ride from Grenfell to Gulgong is also held to commemorate the Lawson family trek from Grenfell to Gulgong when he was a boy.The Grenfell Henry Laawson Festival of Arts History of Festival The June weekend was chosen because it is close to Lawson's birthday. Over the years, such personalities as Chips Rafferty, Barry Humphries, Patrick White and Sigrid Thornton have attended. Fossils Grenfell is an important centre of for fossils of Devonian fishes, which occur in many surrounding outcrops of the Hunter Siltstone geological formation. People Cricketer Stan McCabe, cyclist Reggie McNamara and tennis player Jan Lehane were born in Grenfell. References External links * Grenfell's web site * About the town * [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/04/1041566268531.html Sydney Morning Herald 5 January 2003: Grenfell's attempts to woo people to move to the town.] Category:Towns in New South Wales Category:Towns in the Central West (New South Wales)